Sabriya Simon
Marcha da Mulheres Negras 2016
Marcha da Mulheres Negras 2016
Marcha da Mulheres Negras 2016

Priority Areas

Supporting feminist, women’s rights and gender justice movements to thrive, to be a driving force in challenging systems of oppression, and to co-create feminist realities.

Co-Creating Feminist Realities

While we dream of a feminist world, there are those who are already building and living it. These are our Feminist Realities!

What are Feminist Realities?

Feminist Realities are the living, breathing examples of the just world we are co-creating. They exist now, in the many ways we live, struggle and build our lives.

Feminist Realities go beyond resisting oppressive systems to show us what a world without domination, exploitation and supremacy look like.

These are the narratives we want to unearth, share and amplify throughout this Feminist Realities journey.

Transforming Visions into Lived Experiences

Through this initiative, we:

  • Create and amplify alternatives: We co-create art and creative expressions that center and celebrate the hope, optimism, healing and radical imagination that feminist realities inspire.

  • Build knowledge: We document, demonstrate & disseminate methodologies that will help identify the feminist realities in our diverse communities.

  • Advance feminist agendas: We expand and deepen our collective thinking and organizing to advance just solutions and systems that embody feminist values and visions.

  • Mobilize solidarity actions: We engage feminist, women’s rights and gender justice movements and allies in sharing, exchanging and jointly creating feminist realities, narratives and proposals at the 14th AWID International Forum.


The AWID International Forum

As much as we emphasize the process leading up to, and beyond, the four-day Forum, the event itself is an important part of where the magic happens, thanks to the unique energy and opportunity that comes with bringing people together.

We expect the next Forum to:

  • Build the power of Feminist Realities, by naming, celebrating, amplifying and contributing to build momentum around experiences and propositions that shine light on what is possible and feed our collective imaginations

  • Replenish wells of hope and energy as much needed fuel for rights and justice activism and resilience

  • Strengthen connectivity, reciprocity and solidarity across the diversity of feminist movements and with other rights and justice-oriented movements

Learn more about the Forum process

We are sorry to announce that the 14th AWID International Forum is cancelled

Given the current world situation, our Board of Directors has taken the difficult decision to cancel Forum scheduled in 2021 in Taipei. 

Read the full announcement

Find out more!

Related Content

Feminist with vision, courage and commitment

Feminist with vision, courage and commitment

Rama is a young Senegalese feminist, researcher and writer. In her early twenties, she wrote her first novel La dernière lettre, published by Présence Africaine in 2008. A year later she was selected as a MILEAD fellow of the Moremi initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa. The fellowship is awarded to 25 young African women with extraordinary vision, courage and commitment to lead change in their communities.

"Becoming one's full and unapologetic self is a difficult but the most important of all achievements. I have methodically learned to un-learn and re-learn, to de-construct and re-construct all that I have been taught about how women should socialise..." 

As the 2015 Ibrahim Governance and Development PhD scholar, Rama is about to begin her doctoral studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She already holds an MSc in International Development specializing in African Economic Development and Gender and a Masters’ degree in International Cooperation and Development from the Bordeaux Institute of Political Studies, France.

Rama is an Advisor of FRIDA | The Young Feminist Fund and a member of the Political Economy and Globalisation Team of Development Alternatives with Women for a new Era (DAWN). In previous years, she worked as a Research Assistant at the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP), briefly in the charity sector in France and at the UNDP country office of Mauritius.

"To become my true self, I have learned that my self-care and achievement of my dreams were more important than societal labels that do not even define me..."

In 2013, Rama contributed to a collective book by the Network of young African Researchers on Democracy and Development in Africa and has also been a columnist for Nouvel Horizon Senegal.

"To me being a feminist is accepting that I will have to question everything established by society to define who I should be or what I ‘should want’ because ‘should and want’ are antithetical. Wanting is powerful when liberated from the ‘should’ or ‘should not’. Be You. Period."


Listen to her recent speech

Rama spoke on behalf of the Women's Working Group on Financing for Development, at the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 2015.

Region
Africa
Source
AWID

Obumu Habwekigendererwa [United for the cause] continues the legacy of Koogere

Obumu Habwekigendererwa [United for the cause] continues the legacy of Koogere

The story of Koogere

The Kitara Empire once encompassed present-day parts of eastern Uganda, some areas of northern Tanzania and of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. In this Empire, it is told, a woman named Koogere reigned over the Busongara Chiefdom. It is said that she was an exceptionally wise chief, great leader and entrepreneur who, among other achievements, brought socio-economic prosperity to her communities. The Koogere oral tradition tells the story of Koogere’s leadership, carrying her legacy through generations of the community. 

“Busongora bwa Koogere mbere ikamwa niboroga, Amagita gatera amaato, amata geser’ente” (Busongora of Koogere the land of plenty of cattle and abundant dairy products).

Koogere’s Legacy Today

The Koogere Women Empowerment Programme of Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action, EZT) is built around and inspired by this oral tradition. EZT, an AWID member since early 2015, is an indigenous Ugandan organisation founded in 1999 and working with communities in western Uganda. EZT works to strengthen the capacity of these communities, using cultural practices to promote gender equality, the rights of indigenous women and community self-reliance. Their main activities aim to promote grassroots women’s mobilization and leadership; encourage women’s production and marketing in agro-business and cultural enterprises; end domestic violence and promote women’s economic rights.

EZT works through images and film.

Watch a video about the Koogere oral tradition

EZT is accredited to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and is facilitating the nomination for their oral tradition to be inscribed by UNESCO on the world list of intangible cultural heritage during the 10th session of its Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding Intangible Heritage. The session will take place from November 30th to December 4th 2015 in Windhoek Namibia during which indigenous women and gender activists will showcase this oral tradition.

“Engabu Za Tooro: Impassioned for social equity and inclusion” 

 

Poet of peace and friendship

Poet of peace and friendship

Often known as a ‘poet of peace and friendship’, Caroline Nazareno-Gabis (an AWID member), a.k.a. Ceri Naz is a native of Pangsinan, Philippines, currently living and working in Vancouver, Canada. She is an award-winning poet, editor, journalist, public speaker, linguist, educator, peace and women’s rights advocate.


Caroline has won numerous international prizes for her work, including the The Frang Bardhi Literary Prize 2014 in Albania, the sair-gazeteci (Poet-Journalist Award) during the 34th KIBATEK International Festival of Literature and Arts in Turkey and the World Poetry Empowered Poet 2013 in Canada. She was also a featured poet at Vancouver Word On The Street and chosen as the World Poetry International Director for the Philippines by the World Poetry Canada and International.

“i am the greatest me
for i have accepted the whole,
the real me…”

Caroline’s poetry, children’s and feature stories have been published in various book anthologies and magazines worldwide. Currently, she writes for the Philippine Canadian Inquirer, the Songsoptok International Online Magazine and the e-journal Our Poetry Archive.

Beyond her literary work, Caroline has created the The Ceri Naz Literary Award through which she supports journalism students at the Pangasinan State University as well as emerging writers, poets and artists in the Philippines.

“…i am
fragile
but had put up
the broken pieces
to streams of strength and breadth…”

Ending violence against women, "it's still worth a fight!"

Ending violence against women, "it's still worth a fight!"

Lina Abirafeh (an AWID individual member) is Lebanese and Palestinian, born into conflict, displacement and gender issues. She is committed to ending violence against women and says “we all should be! It is the most pervasive human rights violation in the world, and it has endured far too long. Even if we don’t see the results in our lifetime, it’s still worth a fight!

Lina received a PhD from the London School of Economics Department of International Development, her research being published in a book entitled Gender and International Aid in Afghanistan: The Politics and Effects of Intervention. For nearly 20 years she has been dedicated to working on issues pertaining to violence against women, specifically in emergency contexts and in over 20 countries including Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Mali, Nepal, and Central African Republic. Lina has also worked with numerous UN agencies, the World Bank, as well as with diverse international and national non-governmental organizations. In September 2015, she joined the Lebanese American University (LAU) in Beirut as Director of the Institute for Women’s Studies (IWSAW) in the Arab World.
“We are all affected. So we are all responsible.” - Lina Abirafeh
Lina is also looking forward to connecting with other members!
 
Watch Lina’s talk for TEDx on her work regarding sexual violence in humanitarian emergencies
 

 

Region
West Asia
Source
AWID

Astitva Trust defends the rights of sexual minorities groups

Astitva Trust defends the rights of sexual minorities groups

In April 2014, the Astitva Trust along with its President Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, a prominent transgender rights activist, petitioned in support of an Indian Supreme Court judgement that would recognize a third gender. It was a landmark ruling, the Court granting all constitutional rights to transgender persons. "It is the right of every human being to choose their gender,” the Court stated.


Yet even though legally transgenders are equal citizens, they still face extreme discrimination in mainstream society. The Astitva Trust, a community-based organisation of sexual minorities (mainly hijras[1]), aims to eradicate stigma and discrimination of LGBTQ* and especially the transgender community. The organisation works with sexual minority groups, campaigning for their rights, promoting their health and general well-being, helping to improve their living standards and quality of life.

Some of the objectives of the Trust include raising awareness and increasing knowledge of HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections among sexual minorities; promoting safer sex; and increasing access to community friendly sexual health services. Astitva has so far registered 4652 transgender persons and has networked with 56 transgender organisations in India, providing support in numerous areas.

The organisation is a co-founder and part of the governing board of the Integrated Network for Sexual Minorities, a founder and working group member of Maharashtra Transgender Welfare Board, and a member of both the Asia - Pacific Transgender Network and the Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers.

In April 2015, Astitva (along with Member of Parliament Trichy Shiva) pushed for a historical unanimous passing of the Rights of Transgender Persons Bill in Rajya Sabha,[2] calling for equal rights of transgender people. Next step is to have it passed in Lok Sabha[3] so the Bill can become law.


Listen to Laxmi Narayan Tripathi TEDx Talk


[1] Hijra is a term used particularly in India to refer to a transgender individual
[2] Upper House of Parliament of India
[3] Lower House of Parliament of India
Region
Asia
South Asia
Source
AWID